Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France, the Belgium Ardennes, the Garden of England and Vermont, USA

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About Green River Canoes Ltd

Green River Canoes Ltd runs Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France and the Belgium Ardennes.
These holidays are in the Ardennes, Perigord, Lot, Dordogne, Ardeche and Tarn regions with beautiful easy rivers, fabulous scenery, relaxing accommodation and lovely food and wine.

Combined Yoga & Canoeing Vacation

New for the 2017 season we are introducing this tour which brings Yoga sessions to one of our favourite canoeing tours on the Célé river in the Lot region of the south of France.

It is a 5 Night, 6 Day tour which combines morning and early evening yoga sessions with gentle and relaxing paddling down the beautiful Célé river.

Our instructor, Elizabeth Reed is an Inner Axis yoga teacher, focusing on breath work and non-competitive movement to increase well being, strength, flexibility and relaxation. On this tour she concentrates on general well being; specific postures relating to issues identified by individual participants and postures for warming up and preparing for paddling. It is suitable for beginners or those with some experience of yoga.

Elizabeth is a fun and knowledgeable teacher who focuses on learning and enjoyment, with tips and techniques you can take away and use to benefit your health in a number of ways.

We will explore the little known Célé valley by both canoe and foot and visit its beautiful villages and see its wonderful wildflowers & butterflies & dragonflies. We will also visit the famous cave paintings at Pech Merle.

A brief description of the tour is given below but more details, including dates, prices, maps and photographs can be found on our Yoga & Canoe Retreat web page.

A Riverside Yoga Position

Benefits of Inner Axis

In physical terms Inner Axis Yoga has positive effects on back ache, stiffness, blood pressure, diabetes, and balance. It can further aid the digestive system, and your strength, flexibility, posture and gait. The concentration on controlled breathing aids asthma and other breathing related difficulties. In general it helps towards a leaner and more toned body.

From a mental and emotional point of view Inner Axis Yoga provides a calmer mind, with less anxiety, which is more resilient to stress and life issues. It overcomes a depressive and negative mind set which contributes towards better sleep and gives an improved ability to relax and focus. This in turn instills greater personal confidence.

In social and spiritual terms Inner Axis Yoga builds community spirit, dispels resentments and old patterns which prevent happiness, promotes being your best self in relationship to yourself and others, and fosters gratitude & enjoyment of life.

The Abbey in the village of St. Cirq Lapopie, Lot, France

Features of Inner Axis

Inner Axis is jargon free, taught in simple, clear and concise language and does not use Sanskrit terms.

Inner Axis teaches a variety of breathing exercises and correct breathing techniques, which are scientifically recognised to have a hugely beneficial impact on health and well being.

Inner Axis uses slow and safe yoga movements that are adaptable to your physical needs and condition whatever your age or your level of fitness. It uses props such as blocks, straps, bolsters etc to facilitate faster development.

The focus of Inner Axis is on healthy alignment and the explanation & reasoning behind the methods used.

Inner Axis uses mindfulness and inspiring visualisations.

Inner Axis is non-competitive and fosters an attitude of kindness to yourself and others.

Inner Axis is for everyone who desires inner health as well as physical health, no matter what religion or ideological beliefs they may hold.

On the ‘English Trail, in the Célé valley, Lot, France

Tour Includes

A Trail & River Guide whilst on the river & trail

A Fully Trained Yoga instructor

Full minibus support throughout, to transport us to & from the river and transfers to and from our departure point (local Railway Station or Local airport).

Includes all accommodation in a local farmhouse

Includes all breakfasts, lunches and evening meals

All necessary equipment for Canoeing the remote valley and stream of the Cele

An opportunity to hike along the route of the Way of St. James

Join your guides for a pre-breakfast walk

Visit the ancient cave paintings at Pech Merle

See the beautiful villages of Marcilhac, Espignac, Cabrerets and St. Cirq Lapopie

Family fun on the Célé river, Lot France

Tour Description

Everyday of the tour will be book-ended by a yoga session. The friends of the Célé organisation have arranged that the river is set aside for fishing before 11am and for canoeing thereafter. We will use these morning hours for our Yoga sessions, often by the riverside, and for short walks.

Yoga and canoeing through the gentle waters of the Célé are the perfect companions to bring the mind into the body, to refine our awareness and deepen mindfulness. This tour teaches you techniques that can be practiced and used in the hurly-burly of our everyday lives.

After our day on the river we will have time for another yoga session, or you may relax if you prefer. Our accommodation has a small swimming-pool but we can also wild-swim if we wish too. Evening strolls are also possible.

When we are on the river or trail you will be accompanied on the river by an experienced river guide who will make sure you see all the interesting places along the way. If necessary we can provide top-up/reminder paddling lessons if it’s a while since you paddled, or indeed if you have never paddled before.

The rivers are easy paddling and suitable for inexperienced paddlers. The emphasis on this trip is to enjoy the rich history and natural history of the region from the unique viewpoint of the river.

Cave paintings at Pech Merle, at Cabrerets on the Cele river, Lot, France

We shall enjoy lazy days meandering down the river and take our time to enjoy all that we see along the way and taking the time to visit many of them as we go. We will certainly visit the world famous caves at Pech Merle and see the ancient cave paintings.

Everyday we will stop for a fabulous picnic lunch and in the evenings we will enjoy a home-made dinner in the farmhouse where we are staying. We will take dinner out one evening too.

The Célé is a small winding stream that flows down a steep sided valley into the Lot. On the way it passes through several small and picturesque villages such as Espignac, Marciilhac, Sauliac and Cabrerets.

Along the same valley a long-distance trail winds its way. Sometimes besides the river but mostly up high along the valley’s edge. This is the GR651 which is a small deviation off the famous GR65 more commonly known as the ‘Way of St. James’ or the ‘Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle’.

In an adjacent valley flows the Lot river with the famous cliff-hanging village of St. Cirq Lapopie.

We will explore the dramatic scenery as the river winds its way through a deep limestone valley stopping at pretty villages along the way. We will watch the birds along the riverbank: herons, kingfishers, wagtails, dippers and various hawks and admire the glittering colourful damselflies and dragonflies.

For those so inclined we will have a pre-breakfast walk and before we start canoeing each day we will have our yoga session. If we have the time and inclination we will also explore the trails along the causse above the valley and find dolmens left by ancient man. We will see plenty of colourful butterflies in the meadows and in the season plenty of wildflowers too, including some exotic orchids, like the Lizard and Bee Orchids.

The Célé valley is a quiet and largely undiscovered small valley and we shall probably have the river all to ourselves. If it is warm enough we can find some beautiful spots for wild swimming.

Our evenings will be spent discussing our day over a family style evening meal with plenty of opportunity to make the conversation flow.

Tandem Canoeing.

Though solo canoeing is always an option, nothing moves a canoe better than a well-matched tandem team. The trick is good communication and knowing your job. Here are a few tips to get you started.

The bow is for power.

If you’re sitting in the front you provide forward momentum and correction strokes when the boat wanders. You set the stroke cadence with a steady rhythm and are the lookout, identifying obstacles and making course corrections. The draw is a bow paddler’s key correction stroke. Instead of using the paddle to push the canoe forward, you’re using it to pull—or draw—the bow toward the paddle, thereby changing the boat’s direction. It’s great for avoiding rocks.

The trick is to reach well out of the boat, plant the blade firmly, and then pull the paddle shaft toward the canoe. To practice the cross-bow draw, simply swing your torso to plant the paddle on the “off” side, without switching hand positions (one on the top of the handle, one halfway up the shaft), and draw the canoe in the opposite direction.

The stern is for control.

If you’re sitting in the stern, or the rear, paddle in sync with your bow partner with your paddle on the opposite side of the canoe. Identify and steer the general course, sighting on a distant point or open downriver channel. You also complement the corrections made in the bow. Paddling a tandem canoe is like dancing. Talk to each other. Forgive each other.

Again, the draw is a key correction stroke, but since the stern paddler can’t efficiently draw on the “off” side, you’ll want to use the pry instead. Trail the paddle behind your hip, turning the blade parallel to the hull (like a rudder). Lever the blade emphatically away from the canoe to change the boat’s direction. Finally, because the canoe seats are set asymmetrically, the stern paddler overpowers the bow and has to correct every few strokes with a brief rudder, or J-stroke. After roughly every third forward stroke, pivot the paddle into rudder position and give a short flick (not as dramatic as the pry).

Stay stable.

In waves or white-water, drop from a seated position directly to your knees if things feel dicey. This lowers your centre of gravity and puts you in the most secure stance. Second, take a stroke, any stroke. Get that paddle in the water. It will act as an outrigger or brace.

Paddle smarter, not harder.

“Ramming speed” is the default strategy of neophytes. More often than not, paddling harder only makes bad things happen faster and more dramatically. Instead, back-paddle gently through standing waves to keep from swamping, and to slow the action as you read your way through moving water.

When in doubt, stop and scout.

The canoe world is full of scary and embarrassing stories about rapids not scouted. When you see something coming up that looks iffy—a funny break in the river horizon line, a downed tree, an unclear route—overcome the aversion to stopping. It’s always worth taking a look and staying safe.

Hand-crafted and Fully Guided Canoe Trips that combine the pleasures of paddling down tranquil rivers with an insight into the history and natural history of the region whilst we enjoy the local cuisine and stay in small Inns and B&Bs as we make our way gently downstream in beautiful & dramatic countryside.

Autumn Canoeing

On the Vézère, the Dordogne and the Célé rivers in France

You still have time to enjoy a late holiday break to the South of France with us. September & October are great months for paddling, and of course these are wonderful places to canoe in the Autumn.

It is still warm: very often it is still warm enough to swim in the rivers. We have the 7 Days in the Perigord and the 6 Days on the Cele trip. Or you can push both trips together for our 12 Days 3 Rivers tour. The rivers are quiet: we are often the only people on the river, and of course the châteaux and castles and restaurants and wines are as fabulous as ever.

The tours include visiting the 25,000 year old cave paintings in these regions at Lascaux & Pech Merle, and we can fit in visits to other caves if we wish: Castel Merle, Rouffignac and Font de Gaume for example.

The number of châteaux we canoe past is almost too numerous to mention: the Losse, Belcayre and Clérans on the Vézère, the castles at Montfort, Castelnaud and Beynac as well as the châteaux of Marqueyssac, Fayrac and Milandes on the Dordogne and also the Devil’s Castle and the Chateau Cabrerets on the Célé.

We also visit and stay in numerous pretty villages – Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – which include Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Beynac-et-Cazenac, La Roque-Gageac and Castelnaud-la-Chapelle. With a little bit of effort we can also visit Domme, Cardaillac and Saint-Amand-de-Coly. These are all tiny country villages in stunning settings. We will also visit the regional town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, preferably on market day.

But, of course, rivers are our main focus and the scenery and wildlife are just as stunning in this season and we will have the bonus of autumn colours.

Admiring the cliffs on the Célé river, Lot France

6 Day Célé Tour

A 5 Night, 6 Day tour in which we spend three days paddling the Célé river and a day hiking a section of the Way of St. James. We also visit the cave paintings at Pech Merle. An extra day can be added if we wish to paddle on the Lot river for a day or we can swap the hike day for a paddle day.

On this tour we will stay in a farmhouse above the Célé for the whole tour. This will save us packing & moving on every night. Every day is but a short drive to the river. Not even 20 minutes drive. Our host Richard & Helen will prepare lovely home-made meals for us and we will enjoy the conviviality of their home.

We will rendezvous with our canoes on the first day and then keep them for the three days it will take us to paddle down to the confluence of the Lot river. We will picnic along the way for lunch and stop at the pretty villages along the route. We will also have ample time for little walks & hikes here & there.

7 Day Perigord Tour

A 6 Night, 7 Day tour in which we canoe down the Vézère & Dordogne rivers with visits to caves to see 25,000 year-old paintings, troglodyte dwellings along the river, huge castles and beautiful chateaux.

On this tour we spend two days paddling down the Vézère river and 3 days paddling down the Dordogne river.

The Vézère valley is famous for being the ‘valley of man’. Almost 200 sites of Neanderthal and CroMagnon antiquity have been found here. We will see and explore some of them, including the renowned Painted Caves at Lascaux. But the Vézère is also beautiful for other reasons, including fabulous chateaux, stunning scenery and wildlife.

The Dordogne river is famous for its more recent history, the 11th and 12th Century for example, which are represented by the huge castles we shall pass, which are reminders of the 100 Years War between France & England. We shall paddle past these as well as numerous smaller chateaux built for more peaceful times. We shall have plenty of time for visiting some of these as well as the stunning villages along the way.

A visit to the Pre-Historic paintings at Lascaux

Our last breakfast together at the Hotel de Chateau in Beynac – everyone is a bit tired and sad that our paddling and exploring with Steve and “George” is over….. The van is packed and we are off to the Lascaux Caves II, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These are the world’s most visited painted caves. The caves were discovered by 2 boys in 1940 and were closed to the public in 1963 due to the fact that the original cave paintings were being harmed by the public.

Cave Painting at Lascaux II

Cro-Magnon Man created these most amazing paintings of deer, cows, horses and stags, along with various symbols (it is still not known what they represent) 17,000 years ago. It was important to salvage this unique piece of history so in the 70s, specialists set out to recreate the original cave paintings down to within a centimeter and a new cave was opened 200 meters away from the original cave in 1983. Our tour started out in French, but then we were able to join an English speaking tour that was right behind us. It was so much more meaningful for us to have the English guide explain about the animals, how they were painted, how the artist showed that the animal might be running and how animals were superimposed on others. The colors of red, yellow and black were vibrant and the guide said that in the original cave they were even more vibrant as the humidity in there is about 98% and preserves the colors well.

Cave Painting at Lascaux II

We are off to Brive and the train station. Patty & Paul will pick up their car here to continue their travels in the Loire Valley and then on another OAT river cruise. Annie, Marlee and I board the train back to Paris where we will then catch a taxi to the airport Best Western. Our train experience was a real adventure. Apparently the coach that we were supposed to be in was not at the end of the train as planned – so we could never find our seats! Not speaking the language was a real problem as we did not know what was going on. We chose any seat and at the next stop we got kicked out of those seats! Finally moving ahead 6 cars dragging all our luggage through a moving train, we found seats – and were able to complete the journey in those! Arrived safely at the Best Western 10 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport. Tomorrow ends our wonderful adventure here in France – I have a 10:30 AM flight to catch back to the US where I know that Marc & Abby are anxiously awaiting my return!

Steve House of Green River Canoes Ltd and Steve Lines have been wonderful to us – driving us safely everywhere, providing the canoes they rented from various French companies along the rivers, setting up all the lodging and restaurant reservations – but mainly providing us with humor, and a wealth of information. These guys have known each other since their late teens and early 20s – they played in a band together in England where they were originally were from. Steve Lines still lives in the southeast part of England and Steve House, co-owner of the company, lives in Antwerp, Belgium. We so enjoyed their banter with one another and all the funny English sayings that we were privy too. It was truly a special experience!

Thank you for joining me on this journey to the beautiful country of France – land of beautiful rivers, bustling towns, small quaint flower filled villages and history dating back many thousands of years.

Last day on the Dordogne from Beynac to Siorac-en-Dordogne

We started out the day with a buffet breakfast at the Hotel de Chateau – we changed our itinerary a little for the day due to the possibility of rain around 1 pm. We have been so lucky with only a little rain part of one day of paddling.

Last day on the Dordogne river as we start from Beynac

First stop this AM was the river for our first of several short paddles today. We were just out of our put-in spot when we had 3 choices of channels. Marlee and I were paddling together today (we have gotten into a good rhythm!) and chose the narrow one that Steve suggested that had heron rookeries along the banks high in the trees. It was wonderful to see the herons flying all about us – not many people go down this channel so we must have surprised them. In all of our paddles today on the Dordogne we are skirting around islands and checking out narrow passages – following Steve and Annie! We never got into any trouble, although Steve had to get out at one point when they were stuck on a log – Marlee and I sailed over it! Too much great food on this trip for you, Steve!

Josephine Baker’s beautiful Chateau des Milandes

After about an hour, we take out and are transported by the van up to Chateau Des Milandes, former home of Josephine Baker. Josephine was a former African American burlesque dancer in the US and fell in love with France, moving there in the late 1930’s. The chateau was built in 1489 and had many owners. Josephine purchased the chateau in 1947 and called it her “Sleeping Beauty” castle. We had a wonderful tour of the chateau which contained replicas of many of the same furnishings of those in Josephine’s era. She had 12 adopted children of different nationalities and several husbands. She unfortunately died destitute in 1975, having been kicked out of her beautiful palace at one point. She truly was an extraordinary woman, having worked in civil rights with Martin Luther King and also volunteering in the service during WW II along with performing and taking care of her many children.

A beautiful Eagle Owl at the Chateau des Milandes falconry show

The chateau was magnificently decorated and even had a wonderful Bird Of Prey demonstration out in the garden – one of the best I have seen. I even got to hold a peregrine falcon! There was a ferret and several kinds of owls, including the largest owl in France, the eagle owl which magnificent eyes.

Time to paddle another 45 minutes – exploring islands and staying out of the way of nesting swans. Steve tells us that they can be very aggressive at this nesting time of the year and that we should give them a wide berth.

Our last picnic together, at Allas-les-Mines, Dordogne

Our last picnic lunch today was at a community center that had a picnic table. Steve (George) has done an excellent job of providing us with a wonderful variety of foods for lunch – cheeses of France, meats, salad (even with avocados!), fresh French bread, gherkin pickles, potato chips and always some type of fruit and the bar of Belgium chocolate! Of course the obligatory white and red wine accompanied our picnic! The last few days we also had Lu’s, a chocolate covered shortbread cookie.

A garden of potted flowers at Beynac

Our last paddle on the Dordogne and of the trip lasts approximately one hour – I am very sad to see this part of the trip end as I am so at peace on the river. Steve has taught me so much about paddling and I feel so much more comfortable about getting out of a tight situation than on that first day!

Patty, Marlee and Cheryl at Beynac Castle with the chateaux of Payrac, Marquessac and Castelnaud in the distance

One last castle to visit – the Beynac Castle, built in 1238 by the English, which sits high above the town of Beynac where we are staying. The views from this castle are amazing – we can see up and down the Dordogne where we have been paddling. This feudal fortress of Beynac is part of the large system of castles along the Dordogne, which was the division line of the English and French possessions during the 13th century. Much restoration is going on in this castle. We walked down and down from this castle right back to our hotel.
In an hour we are off to dinner in another larger village, Sarlat. We stopped for an aperitif at a local bar and then we were on to dinner at a restaurant recommended by the canoe rental company’s owner. It was one of the best dinners we had! It was a late night and we had to prepare for our departure tomorrow.

A day on the Dordogne with Chateaux & Castles

I am looking forward to castles and chateaux today – plus our paddle on the Dordogne from Montfort down to Beynac. Breakfast at the hotel and we are off again at 9am – directly to the river so we start our paddle early today.

Marlee approaches the riverside village of Roque-Gageac

Looking down on the Dordogne river at Roque-Gageac

Our first stop is at the La Roque Gageac, a cliff hugging village built into the rocks. Here we have coffee and then walk up through the village to see where the rock slide occurred in 1952 originally and then another just 3 years ago. There are still remnants of where the rock slide wiped out some homes and closed down the street though the town for 2 years back in the 50’s. It is a beautiful little town with steep streets of cobblestone, a beautiful little church and gorgeous roses.

(L to R) Cheryl, Marlee, Steve, Patty and Annie at Roque -Gageac

On the river we see baby ducks, herons and the beautiful scenery dotted every now and then with a chateau or castle. There are old fashioned galleon type “tour” boats on this river so we have to watch for their wakes and also their passage. There are also many places along the river that rent canoes or kayaks – can’t begin to imagine what this river will look like in the summer!

Approaching the castle at Castelnaud on the Dordogne

Next we leave the canoes for a tour of the English Castelnaud Castle – a wonderful old castle with tight spiral staircases, cases of armor, movies explaining about the castle history starting in the 1500’s and how the catapults worked in defending the castle, displays of old weaponry used in medieval times and even a latrine that was merely a hole dropping down into the surrounding countryside – many stories high! What a surprise that would have been if you were walking under!

Gorgeous views of the Dordogne from the castle at Castelnaud

Next we traveled by van to a local wine tasting store – tasted some local wines and then ogled over all the various pates, salts, wines, candies etc. that they had. No room in my suitcase for any purchases…….

The gardens and chateau at Marquessac, Dordogne

Marqueyssac Gardens were next. This is a wonderful formal garden where all the boxwood hedges are trimmed twice a year. The hedges were being trimmed as we walked through – they use hand trimmers and a string stretched out tightly to make sure the line is exact for trimming! By the time they finish trimming everything once, it is time to start over!
It was time for our last paddle of the day – Marlee and I are in a groove paddling together now! It is approximately ½ hour to the next town of Beynac where our hotel, the Hotel de Chateau, sits across from the river after a 2 minute walk. It also sits directly underneath the Chateau Beynac.

Dinner was in the hotel (I managed to only eat ½ of everything and am not going to bed stuffed tonight!) Internet is a challenge here as it only works in the lobby area – but we will make it work! That is all for tonight!

A long day on the Dordogne river, from Cazoulès to Montfort

Sadly we leave the farm today and say good-bye to our wonderful hosts who have provided us with excellent home cooked meals, wine and homemade aperitifs! We are off at 9 AM on our adventure on the Dordogne River.

It is approximately a 90 minute drive to the river but we make a few stops along the way – explore another little French village, have coffee, & hit the grocery store (Steve needs to stock up for another wonderful picnic lunch).

Getting ready for our adventure on the Dordogne at Cazoulès

The canoes arrive at the put-in spot promptly at 12 noon and we are off! This river is much wider and quieter than the Célé – we see several types of birds along the shore and in the water – even a blue heron that we chase down the river and then he flies back over the top of us.

Ready to paddle again after lunch at Saint-Julien-de-Lampon

There are purple marten nests built into the sand and this is the first time we have seen cormorants also. We are paddling from Cazoulès to Montfort – we pass by a magnificent chateau high on a hill near our take-out point which is rumored to be owned by a Saudi prince.

Interesting caves and crevices on the Dordogne river

We meander past limestone cliffs and marvel at the ferns and other plants growing out of the rocks and we even explore a small cave via our canoes eroded into these rocks. We arrive in the town of Montfort and to our hotel, the Plaisance for our one night stay here. We relax out on the patio before dinner – it is delightfully warm, a real treat!

Relaxing on the patio at the Hotel Plaisance, Vitrac

Dinner is at the hotel and a 4 course extravaganza! I should have had ½ of each course – hate going to bed on such a full stomach – but I am exhausted…. Good night to all! Another day on the beautiful Dordogne awaits and will be full of castles and chateaux along the river tomorrow!

In the Archive

About Green River CAnoes

Green River Canoes Ltd runs Inn-to-Inn Guided Canoe Trips in the south of France and the Belgium Ardennes.
These holidays are in the Ardennes, Perigord, Lot, Dordogne, Ardeche and Tarn regions with beautiful easy rivers, fabulous scenery, relaxing accommodation and lovely food and wine.